Slumping Lakers target win vs. Raptors
Basketball Betting Lines
03/09/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers hope to avoid
their longest losing streak in three seasons tonight when they hit the
hardwood against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center.
The Lakers dropped their third straight game in Orlando on Sunday when Vince
Carter scored a team-high 25 points, and Dwight Howard added 15 points and 16
rebounds, as the Magic escaped with a 96-94 win in a rematch of last season's
NBA Finals.
Kobe Bryant, who missed a potential game-tying shot at the fourth-quarter
buzzer, led all scorers with 34 points to go along with seven rebounds and
seven assists for the Lakers, who have dropped three straight -- all on the
road -- for the first time since January 23-27, 2008. Pau Gasol donated a
double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.
LA, which earned a 98-92 victory over the Magic on January 18 at Staples
Center, defeated Orlando for the NBA title in five games last year. It was the
Lakers' 15th title in franchise history.
With the Magic up 94-89 in the final minute, Bryant drained a corner three
with 26.4 seconds on the clock. After Jameer Nelson was fouled and made 1-of-2
from the stripe, Bryant hit a long jumper from the top of the arc with 12.9
ticks left to cut LA's deficit to one.
The shot was originally ruled a three before the officials briefly reviewed
it, and the replay clearly showed Bryant's foot was on the line. Carter was
then fouled and made 1-of-2 with 9.7 seconds to go before Bryant's medium-
range jumper was off the mark as time expired.
"I didn't release it the way I really wanted to so I tried to compensate for
it because I felt the ball slipping," Bryant said. "That is my shot. You give
that to me 10 times and I make it nine times."
The Lakers haven't dropped four in a row since April 8-13, 2007.
The Raptors, who are kicking off a four-game western road trip tonight, are
coming off an embarrassing loss on their home floor to the woeful Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 32 points and rookie
point guard Jrue Holiday had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists in that
one, as the Sixers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 114-101 win.
Jarrett Jack had a team-high 20 points to go along with nine assists for
Toronto, which was coming off a 102-96 win over the New York Knicks on Friday.
The Raptors, who shot 51.2 percent from the floor, have dropped six of seven
overall, however.
Chris Bosh returned to the lineup after missing the previous six games because
of a balky ankle and flu-like symptoms, and finished with 12 points and 12
rebounds.
"I felt good, but anytime you are absent for any length of time, it's tough to
get your legs back," Bosh said. "The main thing is I'm happy to be back
playing."
Bryant has owned Toronto in Hollywood recently, averaging 43.4 points in the
team's last five contests at Staples Center, including a career-high 81 on
Jan. 22, 2006.
Overall the Raptors have dropped eight of their last nine games to the Lakers
in LA but did snap a four-game skid to Phil Jackson's club with a 106-105 win
north of the border back in January.
<< 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The competition level will be through the
roof in Nashville this week, as all 12 SEC teams will compete in the 51st
annual conference tournament. On the line is an automatic bid to the NCAA
Tournament, and th
<< 2010 Mountain West Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It is the usual suspects that are destined
to do the most damage in Las Vegas this week, as the members of the Mountain
West Conference descend on the Thomas & Mack Center for the 11th annual
conference t
<< 2010 Pac-10 Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nine team will converge on the Staples
Center in Los Angeles to compete for the Pac-10 Conference Tournament
championship beginning on Wednesday, March 10th.
The only member of the league that isn't compet
<< 2010 Big West Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 35th annual Big West Conference
Tournament will once again take place at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena
for a tenth straight season. The bottom four seeds of the eight-team field
will take part in fi
<< Bruins hope to bolster playoff chances vs. Maple Leafs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to bolster their playoff hopes
when they visit the last-place Toronto Maple Leafs for tonight's clash between
Original Six clubs at Air Canada Centre.
The Bruins are currently holding onto the ei
Thrashers, Predators both aim to avoid third straight loss >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of playoff hopefuls will try to avoid third
consecutive losses tonight when the Atlanta Thrashers host the Nashville
Predators at Philips Arena.
Both the Thrashers and Predators came out of the Olympic break with ba
Red Wings host Flames in matchup of playoff hopefuls >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings will both be
aiming for a third straight victory when they meet in the Motor City tonight
for a battle between playoff hopefuls at Joe Louis Arena.
In addition to winning two straig
2010 Big Ten Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th Annual Big Ten Conference
Tournament gets underway on Thursday, March 11th from Conseco Fieldhouse in
Indianapolis, Indiana. Purdue is the defending tournament champion, having
topped Ohio State in l
Blazers welcome Kings to Rose Garden >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers hope to bounce back from one of
their worst defensive performances of the season tonight when they take on the
Sacramento Kings at the Rose Garden.
Carmelo Anthony posted 30 points on Sunday to
Flyers try to continue mastery of Isles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers will be attempting to extend their
current home winning streak in tonight's matchup with a New York Islanders
team they've dominated over the past few seasons from the Wachovia Center.
The Flyers ha
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
Football Betting
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
NFL Betting Lines
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